2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
The last chapter of the 2nd Epistle of Peter is full of information for the believer. He speaks of the last days, the delay in the coming of Christ, false prophets, the agreement of the apostles on these subjects and on the vigilance men need to keep concerning these things.
I am stopping though on God's grace and the knowledge of our Lord.
Peter says to grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord.
How do we grow in Grace and knowledge?
There is one way to grow in this fellowship with Him, that is to better know Him.
How do you get to know someone? By spending more time with them.
We get to know Him by spending time with Him, Reading His Words, talking with Him.
We know Him by learning of Him, His works, His Righteousness, His power, His Glory and His majesty.
He has given us all we need to know Him.
He has given us His Word.
He has given us His Son.
He has given us His Spirit.
Psa 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psa 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
We learn Him by knowing His Word, Studying His ways, His Wisdom. We know Him by His Word.
Psa 42:1 To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Psa 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord.
You can not grow if you do not eat and drink of His Word. You can not grow if you ignore Him, you can not grow if you do not study.
To know God is to know His ways, to know His mind. We can know God, His purity, His Righteousness. We can know His mind, we can know His ways. Through studying His Word and prayer we can grow to the point where our minds , our desires are His. For if we know Him then we want to be like Him. If we are like Him our goals are His goals. Our way is His way. For we will be His and His interests are ours.
God gave us His Son, so that we might know Him.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
God gave His son, that we might find salvation. That we might have fellowship with God. That we might know not just of God, but that we might know the Father and be a part of His family.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
God gave us His Son. He sacrificed all for us.
Why? That we might have life and have it more abundantly. This doesn't mean financial success, this doesn't mean material things, This doesn't mean health.
This means joy and peace knowing the Father and the Father knowing you. This means that you know that He cares for you and all your concerns, your worries, your successes and your failures.
Knowing that God is on your side and if He be for you, who can be against you that matters?
We know the God of the universe walks with us, has us in His hands. That is why Christ came. So you can be a part of God's family again. So that through Him and His death on the cross you might have all that was originally intended for you.
God gave us His Spirit that we might commune with Him. Once we accept the Son as our savior, as the only way to know the Father, then we will receive the Spirit.
Once we have the Spirit and we are attuned to the Spirit then we can further our understanding of the Word. Then we can better know the Father..
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
We as believers in Christ have received the Spirit. The Spirit testifieth in us that Jesus is God. He tells us that we are His. For no man can call Jesus God except he have the Spirit.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
The Spirit doesn't just comfort and testify. He also teaches us. He prays and intercedes with the Father for us.
This is how we grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord.
We have a 4 part path to a stronger Spiritual Life.
The Word.
The Son.
The Spirit.
Prayer.
God gave us the first three so that we might have the ability to pray and commune with Him, to know Him..
We owe Him everything.
He did it all, how can we not want to know more of Him?
How can we not want to grow in His Grace, in His knowledge?
How can we not Love Him with all our hearts and minds?
He first loved us, while we were yet sinners. While we were at our most unlovable.
That is Love.
How can you not want to grow in that Grace, in that knowledge?
The last chapter of the 2nd Epistle of Peter is full of information for the believer. He speaks of the last days, the delay in the coming of Christ, false prophets, the agreement of the apostles on these subjects and on the vigilance men need to keep concerning these things.
I am stopping though on God's grace and the knowledge of our Lord.
Peter says to grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord.
How do we grow in Grace and knowledge?
There is one way to grow in this fellowship with Him, that is to better know Him.
How do you get to know someone? By spending more time with them.
We get to know Him by spending time with Him, Reading His Words, talking with Him.
We know Him by learning of Him, His works, His Righteousness, His power, His Glory and His majesty.
He has given us all we need to know Him.
He has given us His Word.
He has given us His Son.
He has given us His Spirit.
Psa 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psa 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
We learn Him by knowing His Word, Studying His ways, His Wisdom. We know Him by His Word.
Psa 42:1 To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Psa 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Grow in the Grace and knowledge of our Lord.
You can not grow if you do not eat and drink of His Word. You can not grow if you ignore Him, you can not grow if you do not study.
To know God is to know His ways, to know His mind. We can know God, His purity, His Righteousness. We can know His mind, we can know His ways. Through studying His Word and prayer we can grow to the point where our minds , our desires are His. For if we know Him then we want to be like Him. If we are like Him our goals are His goals. Our way is His way. For we will be His and His interests are ours.
God gave us His Son, so that we might know Him.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
God gave His son, that we might find salvation. That we might have fellowship with God. That we might know not just of God, but that we might know the Father and be a part of His family.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
God gave us His Son. He sacrificed all for us.
Why? That we might have life and have it more abundantly. This doesn't mean financial success, this doesn't mean material things, This doesn't mean health.
This means joy and peace knowing the Father and the Father knowing you. This means that you know that He cares for you and all your concerns, your worries, your successes and your failures.
Knowing that God is on your side and if He be for you, who can be against you that matters?
We know the God of the universe walks with us, has us in His hands. That is why Christ came. So you can be a part of God's family again. So that through Him and His death on the cross you might have all that was originally intended for you.
God gave us His Spirit that we might commune with Him. Once we accept the Son as our savior, as the only way to know the Father, then we will receive the Spirit.
Once we have the Spirit and we are attuned to the Spirit then we can further our understanding of the Word. Then we can better know the Father..
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
We as believers in Christ have received the Spirit. The Spirit testifieth in us that Jesus is God. He tells us that we are His. For no man can call Jesus God except he have the Spirit.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
The Spirit doesn't just comfort and testify. He also teaches us. He prays and intercedes with the Father for us.
This is how we grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord.
We have a 4 part path to a stronger Spiritual Life.
The Word.
The Son.
The Spirit.
Prayer.
God gave us the first three so that we might have the ability to pray and commune with Him, to know Him..
We owe Him everything.
He did it all, how can we not want to know more of Him?
How can we not want to grow in His Grace, in His knowledge?
How can we not Love Him with all our hearts and minds?
He first loved us, while we were yet sinners. While we were at our most unlovable.
That is Love.
How can you not want to grow in that Grace, in that knowledge?
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